The Motor Boys in the Clouds; or, A Trip for Fame and Fortune Read online

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  "THE AEROPLANE WAS NOW WITHIN TEN FEET OF THE PLATFORM."]

  THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS

  Or

  A Trip for Fame and Fortune

  BY

  CLARENCE YOUNG

  AUTHOR OF "THE MOTOR BOYS," "THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND," "THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT," "JACK RANGER'S SCHOOLDAYS," "JACK RANGER'S OCEAN CRUISE," ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED

  NEW YORK CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  BOOKS BY CLARENCE YOUNG

  =THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES=

  (=Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Patent Office.=)

  12mo. Illustrated

  Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid

  THE MOTOR BOYS Or Chums Through Thick and Thin THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND Or A Long Trip for Fun and Fortune THE MOTOR BOYS IN MEXICO Or The Secret of the Buried City THE MOTOR BOYS ACROSS THE PLAINS Or The Hermit of Lost Lake THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT Or The Stirring Cruise of the Dartaway THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC Or The Mystery of the Lighthouse THE MOTOR BOYS IN STRANGE WATERS Or Lost in a Floating Forest THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE PACIFIC Or The Young Derelict Hunters THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS Or A Trip for Fame and Fortune

  =THE JACK RANGER SERIES=

  12mo. Finely Illustrated

  Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid

  JACK RANGER'S SCHOOLDAYS Or The Rivals of Washington Hall JACK RANGER'S WESTERN TRIP Or From Boarding School to Ranch and Range JACK RANGER'S SCHOOL VICTORIES Or Track, Gridiron and Diamond JACK RANGER'S OCEAN CRUISE Or The Wreck of the Polly Ann JACK RANGER'S GUN CLUB Or From Schoolroom to Camp and Trail

  Copyright, 1910, by CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS

  PREFACE

  DEAR BOYS:

  In this, the ninth of the books in the "Motor Boys Series," Jerry, Nedand Bob decide that as they have had a number of adventures on land andwater, the only place left for them to see sights is up in the air,above the clouds. At first this plan was considered rather dubious, as,though considerable progress has been made toward men sailing about inthe upper regions by means of dirigible balloons or aeroplanes, thescience is still far from perfected.

  But when the boys had attended an aero carnival, and witnessed theflight of a large dirigible balloon, they decided there was nothing forthem to do but to attempt a trip that way themselves.

  They formed the acquaintance of a veteran balloon constructor, who hada plan for a novel motor ship. This combined a dirigible balloon andan aeroplane, and after some consideration the boys furnished him themoney to build one.

  All was not smooth sailing, literally as well as figuratively speaking.They had a number of difficulties, not the least of which were causedby their old enemy, Noddy Nixon. How they finally started, the accidentsthat befell them, and the long trip they made for fame, and not a littlefortune, in the shape of a substantial prize, you will find set down inthe succeeding pages.

  The welcome you boys have accorded the previous books in this seriesmakes me hope that you will also like this one. The conquest of the airis coming nearer every year, and who knows but that the Motor Boys maybe the ones who will be among the first to solve it.

  Yours cordially,

  CLARENCE YOUNG.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I NODDY NIXON'S TIN FLY 1 II OFF TO THE CARNIVAL 11 III AMID THE AIRSHIPS 19 IV THE FAT MAN'S WAGER 29 V A DISASTROUS FLIGHT 39 VI NODDY IN A ROW 47 VII IN GREAT PERIL 54 VIII THE DIRIGIBLE BALLOONS 66 IX A RACE IN THE AIR 74 X PLANNING A MOTOR SHIP 81 XI BUILDING THE COMET 87 XII NODDY MAKES TROUBLE 96 XIII JOFFY SEES A "GHOST" 105 XIV PROFESSOR SNODGRASS ON HAND 113 XV THE MOTOR SHIP SAILS 121 XVI NODDY'S PLOT 130 XVII A SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT 141 XVIII A PERILOUS TRIP 150 XIX STARTING FOR THE RACE 159 XX HELD UP 166 XXI SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE 175 XXII NODDY IS TRAPPED 184 XXIII THE STOLEN LEVER 190 XXIV "THEY'RE OFF!" 198 XXV NODDY GETS HIS DESERTS 208 XXVI IN A HEAVY STORM 214 XXVII AFTER A STRANGE BIRD 222 XXVIII THE RED BALLOON 228 XXIX OVER THE MISSISSIPPI 235 XXX WINNING THE PRIZES--CONCLUSION 240

  THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS